


In another life, another time...

by Thelienna



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Negotiations, Politics, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Uchiha Izuna Lives, Warring States Period (Naruto)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:27:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21877375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thelienna/pseuds/Thelienna
Summary: After being defeated by Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha and being betrayed by Black Zetsu, Madara Uchiha's died on the battlefield. He had lived a life longer than anyone... yet was he satisfied with what he accomplished in the end? What if he was given another chance at living his life with the knowledge of how things ended up the first time?Discontinued for now.
Comments: 33
Kudos: 105





	1. Prologue - Madara Uchiha

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic in the Naruto fandom so I hope you will enjoy. I have a plan to make it a Madahashi story... going back all the way to the Warring States period in time. I have a plan to make it Madahashi later on if anyone is interested in that :D
> 
> I will add more tags, characters and ships as the story continues. I don't wanna spoil my plan right at the beginning, after all.

Madara Uchiha opened his eyes, only to be faced with darkness yet again. He sighed as he realized he was dead again - for good this time. He had no backup plan, no way of resurrection now. Regret and shame filled him as he thought back to his actions, as he thought back all he had accomplished through his life - nothing. He made people only miserable around him, nothing more.

  
It was ironic somehow, that he thought he was ushering in peace when all he really did was to become a villain of the world. He also hated how he only found darkness around himself after he died. So this was really it for him? Eternal darkness?

"No." Came a rumbling voice through the darkness.  
"Not necessarily." The voice clarified.

Madara tried to turn around, to active his Sharingan, anything... but he could not feel or see anything but darkness.

"W-who... who are you?" He asked - at least he thought he asked. He couldn't exactly hear his own voice as if he was speaking, yet the voice answered him, seemingly hearing either what he said or his thoughts. It made Madara even more confused about what was happening. Last time he died… he remembered only being immobile for an infinite time in darkness and silence. There wasn’t any voice in it last time until he was reanimated.

"That's not important. The only important thing is... are you satisfied with that life you lived? Are you happy with your legacy? With the things you have experienced?" The voice seemingly spoke from all the places around him.

Madara wanted to shake his head yet somehow it seemed he wasn't in his body anymore. It was a weird feeling - as if he was petrified. His mind still somehow registered his body yet he couldn't really talk. He gave up the struggle soon and he tried to answer, just imagining he spoke the words:

"No. I regret... a lot. A lot of things. I... they never deserved it. No one... no one deserved what I did. And I wasn't even happy as I accomplished nothing in the end." Madara wasn't sure why but he knew he was telling the truth. What good was it to lie to a voice speaking to him in the eternal darkness after all?

"So you say you only regret your failure in your most recent plan? So you say you only regret... being so overly confident that you were led on that path all along by someone else? Can't you remember maybe what happened... so many years prior? Don't you regret what happened to your brother?" The voice was sound a lot closer now and it became somehow - as impossible as it was - even deeper. More like a rumble, not even humanoid now.

"Izuna..." Madara mused and he felt so many old wounds becoming ripped open again he felt the pain of them consume him. Izuna. Yes. Even as he tried to bury his past... he regretted that too. Even if he though he had atoned for those sins through the decades... no.  
He failed his clan, he failed his brother, he failed his friend. Old wounds but they ached in him as if they were no older than a few days. He knew that if he still had his voice he would probably let out a pitiful whimper so unlike him... he was never weak. But he hurt so much...

"Yes. I know. That's why you are getting another chance. That's why I am giving you another chance. Because you weren't always evil. Because you are not inherently evil. So let's see what you can accomplish as a youth with the knowledge, experience and the wisdom of a centenarian.” The voice mused but then after a moment it spoke again. “Do not fail me."

Madara wanted to wince as those last words roared at him suddenly and then he felt something pull on him and he screamed at the sudden pain, screamed at the agony of being thrust through what felt like endless barriers...

And then Madara Uchiha opened his eyes to see a familiar tent around him and to see the first lights of the sun filter through the grey clouds outside through the small opening between the tent's flaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and criticism and opinions are very very very welcome. I would like to get reviews on what I write with the purpose of improving in the future.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading till the end!


	2. Chapter One - Madara Uchiha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... here is the first real chapter I guess. 
> 
> I decided to use the Japanese names of the different techniques in the story but otherwise I will try to keep it English.

Madara took a deep breath as a small smile spread on his lips. He stood outside his old tent in the Uchiha War camp. This era was named by the next generations to come as the Warring States period and he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. For one, the name was very fitting and also… he really was back.

This was a dawn like many he had seen during his early adult years and he knew what was to come later that day – blood and gore, wails of the injured and dying, groans of the ones still on their feet. Uchiha fighting Senju - two great clans wasting time, manpower and effort in a totally pointless series of skirmishes day after day, year after year. A conflict born from hatred and revenge – senseless at this point as no one could remember the first slight that was made anymore.

“You seem to be in high spirit this morning, brother.” A familiar yet so distant voice made Madara turn and his smile widened in an instant as he saw his brother leisurely walking towards him. Izuna – Izuna was alive and well, his dear brother was not dead or injured and on the brink of death. The voice really brought him back to a time when everything was… not fantastic or great just a lot more of a clean slate for him. 

He was the Clan leader he knew as he saw some of his clansmen bow to him with respect as they passed by and nothing had gone irreversibly wrong so far as he still had Izuna. He still had his little brother, still had his family – all the family he ever really cared for. He embraced his brother briefly and he chuckled again at the joy of it, not caring about how Izuna rolled his eyes at him in mock frustration.

“And it seems you are also awfully in an affectionate mood. What is it, brother? Has something happened to you?” Izuna asked with a little crease between his brows Madara remembered so well he always had when he was thinking about an important matter. The older of the two just shook his head and ruffled his brother’s hair as he took a step back.

“Nothing much. I just had a dream… and I have a feeling that today will be somewhat different.” He answered, starting to walk towards their War Tent. Izuna followed him in with another of his eye-rolls and muttering something under his breath. Madara remembered being sometimes annoyed by his little brother’s habits but he was just glad this time that he could yet again see him do them.

He nodded at the other Uchihas in the tent and they went to the Map of the territory that took up most of the space on the low table in the middle of the tent. Madara’s throat suddenly became dry as he inspected the terrain and the figurines that were meaning their troops. He remembered them all too well. He knew now that he wasn’t sent back to any random day – no, he was sent back to a very fateful day it seemed and he had to act rather quickly as he was very short on time.

***

The sound of swords clashing filled Madara’s ears as the fighting was in its peak later that day. He himself – as always – found himself pitted against Hashirama Senju. Their own sword clashed in their deadly dance as he observed his opponent with his Sharingan, skillfully avoiding the Senju’s mokuton attacks. Oh, how he wanted it to just end, how he wanted to speak… but it seemed even with his current knowledge he couldn’t fully act on it, as if his body was not fully his own to control.

It felt weird but he just went with the flow, following in the footsteps of his long ago body, fighting when all he would have liked to do at that moment was to drop his weapon and try to call for a treaty. Because he knew the inevitable was coming and he also knew that Hashirama would be happy to start negotiations with him any moment. Yet he couldn’t and that just frustrated him. 

Then a sudden cry was heard on the battlefield and Madara felt his own body move yet again without him willing it to do so, him jumping to be at his brother’s side. He clasped Izuna under his shoulder and helped him stand as his brother coughed blood that splattered on the earth beneath their feet. He wanted to prevent just this; he wanted to prevent Izuna being mortally wounded by that white-haired Senju demon.

How was he supposed to lead his life better if he couldn’t even will his body to do as he wished? What was the voice’s plan with this all if he couldn’t do what he pleased? Wasn’t this a second chance at life for him after all? Madara had barely a few seconds to voice these questions in his head because soon the older Senju brother stood before them, sword raised in an attacking stance.

“Hashirama…” Madara murmured his voice barely louder than a whisper. He forced his chakra into keeping his Sharingan in place, ready to move in a fracture of a second if it came to that. He had no idea if he had that control over his body now but he would try that anyway. He would do anything to save Izuna this time around – and that wasn’t a tad bit of an exaggeration. He had sworn to protect his last little brother and he failed once. He would never fail again.

“Madara.” Hashirama’s voice was calm as he spoke, head held high proudly. He was in a winning position and his stance, his posture suggested he knew that himself. “You cannot defeat me.” A simple statement but Madara knew he couldn’t argue – that much was obvious at this moment. Izuna was losing a lot of blood; he couldn’t waste his energy and time to face the Senju leader now.

“Why don’t we end this?” Hashirama’s question came after a moment of pause as he was not denied nor had been given an answer. Madara sighed but still kept quiet. “If the two strongest shinobi clans, the Uchiha and the Senju join forces, nations will not be able to find other shinobi clans that can stand against us…” Hashirama clarified and Madara watched silently as his old friend but away his sword with a swift, practiced motion and took a few steps closer to him, extending his hand in an offer. Madara took a step forward, remembering now.

“No… Big brother…” Izuna somehow managed to say, the defiant look in his eyes so bright, one could not have guessed he was wounded so badly. Madara sighed and turned his attention to him, his eyes filled with concern.

“Izuna… Izuna!” He called out as he saw how quickly his brother started to lose his focus. It was no good – he shouldn’t be wasting his strength… but Izuna could not hear his brother’s thoughts and he recovered quickly, his eyes shining with determination.

“Have you forgotten that these bastards killed everyone, killed us Uchiha?” His brother managed to say through gritted teeth. And that was the moment Madara felt that invisible control slip from his body and he felt as if some invisible force nudged him from behind gently. He smiled sadly at his brother, finding his voice to be his to control again too.

“I haven’t. I can’t let you die though. I can’t watch you die like so many others did. And all of us here know that we have less and less talented medical-nin than they have. Hashirama… save him. If he lives, we can talk. If he lives, I will take that offer and we can start negotiations. But first you have to heal him.” He clarified, taking one step closer to the Senju. Hashirama nodded even as Izuna tried to protest – but his words ended up indecipherable due to him coughing up blood again meanwhile.

Madara let Hashirama take his brother from his arms and he nodded at the Senju leader. He watched as Hashirama gently lifted the body of his now unconscious younger brother into his arms, letting out a deep sigh.

“I will make sure myself that he will live. I promise you. Call for a ceasefire. I will do so too. Come to our camp whenever you feel ready and I promise you will get free passage to see your brother. Then we will talk as you promised me.” And with that the older Senju left. Madara turned to see his clansmen’s bewildered faces as Tobirama Senju called for a retreat, telling the other Senjus to stand down.

Madara bellowed the same on his own behalf and he watched as the Senjus departed, bringing their wounded and dead with them. He then gave orders for his own troops to do the same. He glanced once more towards where the Senjus – where Izuna – disappeared. He really hoped this would work. Because he had no other idea how else he could live a different life from what he had lived before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and criticism and opinions are very very very welcome. I would like to get reviews on what I write with the purpose of improving in the future.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading till the end!


	3. Chapter Two - Tobirama Senju

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... I have decided that to tell this story it would be for the best if I used different POVs. If the characters feel a little out of character, sorry for that. I have my own ideas how they interacted with each other as we doesn't get to see them too much in the anime and I haven't read the manga.
> 
> Also as you can see, I update this pretty irregularly... I am a university student and I have my exam period now so my schedule is a little hectic. I write when I have time.

Tobirama Senju barged into his older brother’s tent the moment he was sure Hashirama was alone inside it. His eyes held flames of rage he had to conceal for the last few hours in the camp as he had no intention of undermining his brother’s authority under any circumstances. But now that they were alone and in private he felt he had the right to let it show.

“Brother. What the hell?” He asked as he showed Hashirama’s chest. His older brother just stared at him calmly and sighed.

“Can’t we put this matter to rest, Tobi? I don’t need you to tell me too he can be a spy. I promised Madara to heal his brother and I did just that. He will live. A medical-nin is looking after him even at this moment. If he was taken back to the Uchiha camp he would be dead by now. You inflicted quite a deep wound. What was that technique anyway?” Tobirama just shook his head and hit the table that was separating him from his brother in his frustration. The table trembled under his closed fist and a small crack appeared under the force of his rage. 

“He is an Uchiha, brother. Madara’s brother. Our enemy. What matters which technique I used? Why does his life or death bother you? Are you this stupid? He has killed many Senju as did his older brother, as did his entire god-forsaken clan. They won’t agree to peace, they won’t be our allies. They are our enemies, Hashirama. So grow up and forget that you were Madara’s friend once. He clearly forgot a long time ago as he has no qualms about fighting you till you both are bloodied and on the verge of falling unconscious.”

Tobirama saw his brother wince at his words slightly and he found he couldn’t feel any sympathy for him in that moment. He loved his brother, but this was madness. Healing the heir to the Uchiha Clan, nursing him back to health… he couldn’t understand how his brother could have forgotten about all the agony and grief those bastards cause to them. Hashirama was keeping silent, staring up at his brother with a look of tiredness in his eyes.

“Have… have you forgotten about Itama?” Tobirama’s voice quieted down as he watched his brother close his eyes. He just understood in that moment that Hashirama was not simply tired – he was exhausted. He felt his anger dissipate as a pang of guilt washed over him. He should be the one standing behind Hashirama, supporting him in every decision he had made and yet he was not just neglecting his duties, he was here to tear old wounds open to what end? To slap his brother out of his daydream?

“Never.” Hashirama’s answer came after a good few minutes of stiff silence. Hashirama stepped around the table and he wrapped his arms about his only brother left alive. Tobirama hugged back instantly, his guilt growing. He knew he overstepped his duties and he felt as if somehow he had failed his brother.

“Tobi… I am doing this to honor his memory. I am not deluded. I know this will be hard. I know this plan of mine sounds impossible. I know there is so much hatred between us and the Uchiha, but it has to end. I don’t want any more children to die like our brothers did. I want no parents and siblings to find one of their own blood as we had found Itama all those years ago. I wish to end all the pain and grief we have been inflicting to the Uchiha and vice versa.” Tobirama nodded against his brother’s shoulder, knowing the reason for his brother’s gentle tone was both his tiredness and his pain.

“I am sorry. I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have attacked you like that.” The younger brother admitted, fighting with a sudden lump in his throat. He messed up, big time. He swore to be his brother’s right hand man and now he had the feeling that this plan of Hashirama’s was indeed not the rushed act of a man chasing dreams.

“I understand you anger. You needed to let it out, Tobi. Don’t worry, I understand. I am glad you kept it inside until we were alone. I thank you for not confronting me in front of our Clan. If my plan was to work… we definitely have to be a unified front. You and me. I can’t push this through everyone alone. All I ask from you is to trust your older brother on this one. If it doesn’t work out… well, then we will be at war again. But if it works… Tobi, we have the chance to do something magnificent instead of shedding blood.” Hashirama stepped back, giving his brother a tired, yet hopeful smile.

“I will be by your side and be with you in this out in the public, brother. You can count on me. At the first sight of betrayal though I will not care about peace. All I will care about is keeping our clan safe. Keeping you safe. Also, I want you to know that in private… I will tell you my observations. I will tell you my objections. I don’t trust any Uchiha, Madara and Izuna the least of all. I don’t like it that we have an enemy in our midst right now, I don’t like it that you are healing him. But if you ask me to, I will provide all my knowledge to be at your disposal and help you realize this dream of yours.”

Hashirama smiled at his younger brother and Tobirama bowed in respect before him. The Senju heir was still not fully on the side of peace, but he understood his brother better now. If Hashirama was right in one thing, it was the unified front. They were still technically at war and if he showed anything but loyalty and love towards his brother their Clan could fall apart – something Tobirama had no intention of bringing upon them with the Uchiha still out there.

“Thank you, brother. I will be grateful for your advice and I am counting on your wisdom and insight. I know I can’t make you believe in my plan all of a sudden but I hope time will change that. Would you like to go and have something for dinner with me now that you have spoken your mind?” Tobirama nodded with his usual poker face back in place as he followed his brother out the tent towards the fires where the game they had successfully hunted that afternoon was roasting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and criticism and opinions are very very very welcome. I would like to get reviews on what I write with the purpose of improving in the future.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading till the end!


	4. Chapter Three - Izuna Uchiha

On the third day, Izuna Uchiha opened his eyes. He gasped and started coughing as he found himself to be conscious again. He looked around in the unfamiliar tent, his eyes focusing on a medical-nin… in Senju uniform. His Sharingan flared red even as he fought the nausea the action brought up within him.

He was on his feet quickly, reaching for any weapons… but he found none and the sudden action made world sway before his eyes. He took a shaky step forward and then collapsed as pain flared in his side. Searing pain as he felt something tore against his skin there. What was that? Stitches? He couldn’t find a logical explanation to this at all.

“Please, lay back down. You are still not fully healed. My job is to make sure you stay alive. You were under a sleep inducing jutsu till now so that’s one more reason for you to stay put. You clearly tore your stitches so let me adjust them.” The words were spoken without any emotion hearable in them and Izuna felt firm, strong hands on his back.

He let himself be manhandled by the kunoichi and soon he was lying on his back again. He growled as his shirt was torn and then he felt the usual tingling feeling that came from Medical Ninjutsu working on his body. Izuna closed his eyes as he felt tired again, activating his Sharing having depleted the small chakra reserves he had gathered while he slept.

He was not dying, he realized. He should be, yet he wasn’t. The white-haired Senju demon outsmarted him, defeated him and wounded him gravely, he knew that much. Yet even as he searched his memory, he couldn’t find out what had happened after that. All he knew now that a Senju kunoichi was tending to his wounds and that he was in state to fight any of this right now.

Izuna sighed as he let himself be pulled into a sleep of exhaustion yet again. He had to heal quickly if he wanted to figure out what was happening, he decided before he drifted out of consciousness again.

***

After he slept through another day, Izuna woke up yet again. He felt a lot better now, his head clearer. His side still hurt but it was a lot duller pain than it had been before. His chakra seemed to have mostly replenished while he slept as now less of it went to healing his wound. He opened his eyes and couldn’t help the small smile forming on his lips as he was greeted by a very familiar sight – his older brother sleeping beside him on a stool. How many times this has happened – one of them injured the other watching over his recovery – Izuna couldn’t even count at that point. He reached out and gently took Madara’s hand in his, squeezing it lightly. His brother woke in an instant and Madara was soon on his knees beside Izuna’s head, squeezing his hand back with a smile of pure joy on his lips.

“You… you are alive…” Madara muttered with bewilderment in his voice. Izuna looked up at his brother with confusion written on his face. If their healers could simply just heal him that must have meant his injuries weren’t that bad. The Uchihas were formidable fighters but they lacked a lot in the field of Medical Ninjutsu – and unfortunately it was a fact well-known to many. Usually if someone got injured badly, they died. If they broke an arm, it never became straight again. If they lost a lot of blood, they died. Unlike the Senju, their greatest enemies – they had numbers against their power thanks to the medical-nin on the opposing side. That was the moment it dawned on him. Izuna pulled his hand back from his brother’s grasp and he moved a bit away from Madara, carefully sitting up and looking around. The unfamiliar tent. The Senju kunoichi he remembered glimpses of from the last time he was awake…

“Tell me you didn’t. Tell me we aren’t in the Senju camp. Tell me you didn’t betray me. Tell me you didn’t betray our family, our clan. Madara, why? What have you done?!” Izuna’s voice wasn’t loud. It was barely louder than a whisper as he still wasn’t in peak physical condition – far from it, to be honest. His words were harsh and cutting though as he spoke, contained rage burning in his black eyes as he saw his brother hanging his head, not denying anything.

“I… I couldn’t watch you die. And don’t get me wrong, this is not betrayal or surrender. It’s a ceasefire and now that you are awake and on the way to full recovery, we will start negotiating a peace with the Senju. That’s all I agreed to. Izuna…” Izuna turned away from his brother and hid his face in his hands while his brother spoke. He even shrugged away the hand that was gently placed on the small of his back in a comforting manner.

“No. You… Madara. This is war. We serve, we die. As your heir, I would have offered you my eyes. You could have gotten an Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan to be on par with Hashirama. You could have had enough power to win this fucking war, brother. My life was definitely not worth losing it.” Izuna was shaking with rage as he turned to Madara, his eyes the flaring red of a Sharingan.

“You betrayed us all!” The younger Uchiha yelled and Madara took a step back as he watched the tomoes dance in his brother’s eyes, awakening his Mangekyou Sharingan. Madara looked seriously hurt and Izuna couldn’t care less.

“I should have been the older one. I should have been Clan head. You… Madara, you betrayed us all because you were never strong enough. You showed your weakness first when you befriended the Senju heir and then again now. When will you realize I am as much of a piece on a shogi board in this war as anyone else? Your emotions make you weak, brother. I should have died and you should have avenged me. You are too soft. Now go and make your negotiations but don’t expect me to ever be by your side again. Not after how many they have killed from my family. I will never be at peace with the Senju. You lost me, brother. You didn’t save me – you doomed our bond of family.” Izuna’s words were filled with hatred and rage as he spoke and then he turned away and closed his eyes when he was finished. He wasn’t in the mood to watch his traitorous brother any second longer. His heart was aching with a pain much greater than the dull one in his side. Madara… Madara was never the son their father wanted. It had always been him – but he wasn’t the head of the Clan, that was Madara. As much as it hurt Izuna to admit that he might have spoken too harshly, he wasn’t in the mood to hold a conversation any longer. He heard the faint sounds of his brother leaving and he couldn’t care less. He made his point and he wasn’t about to talk to anyone anymore.

***

A few hours passed and Izuna was still alone with his thoughts, trying to sort out the mess of feelings he was experiencing and formulating the plan of what would be his next step. He still hated the Senjus, no mistaking that. Hashirama Senju was as much of a fool as Madara was if they both believed in peace between their Clans. He needed a little more chakra, some weapons, food, water and his clothes. Then he could leave and start gathering enough people to formulate an attack on the Senju camp… The sounds of footsteps and armor clanking interrupted his thoughts.

“Are you here to finish what you have started? At least you still have some sense in between all these idiots, Senju.” Izuna said in a conversational tone, giving Tobirama Senju a sour half-smile. After all the years of fighting the young Uchiha knew the chakra pattern of this one Senju enough to recognize it even without looking at him. His nemesis grunted in answer and just stayed standing with his arms crossed in the far end of the tent as Izuna finally turned to face him.

“I have all my wits still in place, thank you very much. You on the other hand… you are reckless and childish. Are you out of your mind, Uchiha? Screaming like that in the middle of an enemy camp? Disgracing your own clan head, your brother? Openly turning against him? I thought you were a witty, intelligent opponent whenever we fought. Someone crafty and one who would match me and keep me on my toes. I just realized I severely misjudged you.” Tobirama spoke calmly though his attitude and manner was as calm and calculating as ever. Izuna snorted.

“So while I was unconscious everyone else really had lost their minds. I thought you hated us as much as I did you, White Demon. I helped kill your family and you killed mine. You nearly killed me without any regrets. Why should we be allying? Or were you afraid what lengths would my brother go to avenge my death?” Izuna asked his eyes still black but none the less threatening as he stared into Tobirama’s unusual, red eyes.

“Because you have a duty to your clan head, because I have a duty to my clan head. I am as much of an heir as you are and I don’t see this peace working as you do neither, yet I won’t turn against my brother. Are you disloyal? Are you a coward? Both?” Tobirama asked and Izuna just stared back at him for a moment before answering as he collected his thoughts.

“The only thing I don’t understand now is why you are here, Senju. You made your intention of not killing me clear so far and you are asking me questions that make no sense at all. You clearly have answers for these questions in your head already. Why are you provoking me?” Izuna asked calmly, still no sign of his Sharingan as he rolled his shoulder lazily.

“I want to know if you are a liability. I might personally dislike these negotiations but I will protect my brother and his ideas. I want to know if I need to confine you or if you will behave well. You still need a day or two of resting to regain your strength and you are aware of that yourself. You made your point of hating my clan clear, you made your views on this potential alliance loud. Yet I am still unsure if you would really turn against your brother directly. As he told you, this is not a win for Senju and a defeat for Uchiha. The negotiations will start tomorrow or the day after. Nothing is clear until they commence.” Tobirama said his voice clear even as he moved closer to Izuna, staring down at him, his demeanor as cold as ever.

“Tell me this, Izuna Uchiha. Are you a traitor or can you place your duties above your personal hatred?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and criticism and opinions are very very very welcome. I would like to get reviews on what I write with the purpose of improving in the future.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading till the end!


	5. Chapter Four - Hashirama Senju

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I so wanted to write this chapter... I actually sacrificed my sleep time. It's 2 am here so... sorry if this chapter became a mess in the end? I will re-read it in the morning, but I just really, really wanted to move forward with this story :D

Hashirama Senju was tired. Not just tired, exhausted. He barely slept in the last five days as at first he had been at Izuna Uchiha’s side, tending to his wound and slowly healing him and since then he had been at meetings. Many meetings with his own clan members as he slowly, so slowly won more and more people over to his cause. He finally had a solid fifteen men who he knew would stand with him as supporters to this whole alliance idea.

“Big brother? The Uchiha delegation has arrived. I led them to our war tent and now they are being fed. They are only waiting for you now.” Tobirama peaked into his tent as he spoke, his face a natural mask as always. Hashirama nodded and stood up, picking up the documents he had been writing all night.

“Okay. Yeah. We shouldn’t keep them waiting…” He mused as he slowly walked over to his brother. Tobirama sighed and put a hand onto his shoulder and stepped inside the tent, worry written clearly on his face as he let his mask of uninterest drop for a moment.

“Brother. You look horrible. Have you slept at all? I told you I would help you with the wording and the writing of the treaty. You shouldn’t have exhausted yourself so much. You need to stay sharp if we want this peace you talk about happen.” Hashirama gently hugged his brother with one arm, nodding.

“I know, Tobi. I will be fine. I will rest and sleep the moment we have a conclusion to these meetings. I am not dealing well with uncertainties and I wanted to be prepared for today. You know this is my dream, right? Peace, I mean. So I will sacrifice a few hours of sleep more than gladly if that can help me realize it.” Hashirama spoke in a quiet voice as he stepped back from his brother. Tobirama nodded, opening the tent for him.

“I am aware, brother. I just want to point out that depriving yourself of sleep won’t help the slightest with these negotiations. You might make more mistakes if you aren’t relaxed enough.” Hashirama smiled at his brother happily as he started walking towards the war tent.

“Well. I appreciate your concern. I also know that you will be as sharp as always and I trust you to speak up whenever I make a mistake. So I am not worried the slightest about my lack of sleep. Anyway… we shouldn’t keep our possible allies waiting anymore.” With that Hashirama entered the war tent with Tobirama closely following him. The Senju leader bowed to the Uchihas already sitting around the table accompanied by a few older Senju who were also invited.

Hashirama sat down opposite from Madara, his smile smaller than before yet still bright. His brother took the chair on his right side, sitting opposite from a very grim-looking and quiet Izuna who had at least looked healthier than before. After the necessary rounds of greetings and introductions they finally got to the matter at hand.

“So what do you offer to us as allies?” Madara asked in a conversational tone – always jumping into the middle of things. Hashirama took out the two pieces of paper he had written the night before, putting them out onto the table, rolling them out so they could be read.

“We offer you peace, for once. No one from the Senju clan will hurt any Uchiha clan member. We will part with our revenge against the Uchiha clan and we will not avenge any more Senju who had been killed by an Uchiha during the war period we are seeking to conclude with your clan now. In exchange we ask for the same from you. No more revenge, no more killing, no more war.”

Madara nodded at Hashirama’s words and the Senju visibly relaxed. Tobirama’s gaze bore into Izuna’s beside him and the tension was palpable in the room thanks to that Uchiha mostly – but even some of the Senjus looked quite uncomfortable.

“And what else are you proposing here, Hashirama? Because these documents are a lot longer than what you have just proposed. Also, to finish this part, as the head of the Uchiha clan I hereby declare that my clan will abide by those conditions you listed just now as long as the Senju clan keeps to this peace. The moment the peace is violated by the Senju clan, the Uchiha clan will declare war again and we will abolish this agreement.” Madara stated with authority clear in his voice.

“I, Hashirama Senju, as the leader of the Senju clan hereby declare that my clan will do the same. We will abide by these principles until the peace is breached by any Uchiha in which case war will be declared yet again.” Hashirama stated evenly and he watched as Madara nodded his agreement. Izuna Uchiha let out a small, barely audible grunt, clearly not supporting the way their negotiations commenced so far yet the young Uchiha stayed otherwise quiet.

“My other proposal is starting a village. As two of the strongest clans in these lands we could be a force no other shinobi would be likely to fight against. These documents here are a version of an agreement between our clans that would make the foundation of this village.” Hashirama said and suddenly this declaration threw the whole room into disarray. The people in the room started reading the documents Hashirama brought with him practically tearing them out of each other’s hands.

“Brother! You should have told me…”

“What? Giving them three seats at the council? Why would you…”

“A Hokage? As a leader? This is…”

“We would have to start building…”

“What laws are these? Who will make sure they are followed…”

“Do you really think this could work?”

“Sharing our resources with them? No way…”

“Brother, I told you…”

***

Hashirama felt a lot fresher after a good, long night’s sleep. He woke with a lot clearer head and he was happy to take a walk early in the morning. They weren’t that far from a place he knew well from his childhood so he made his way to the towering cliffs nearby. He climbed to the flat top of them and smiled widely as he saw that someone had beat him to it, that someone was already sitting there, watching the forest below, greens vivid in the early morning sunlight.

“I thought you would come. I was waiting for you here every morning since Izuna woke up.” Madara Uchiha said as a way of greeting as Hashirama settled down on the rocks beside him. Hashirama hung his head slightly, taking a deep breath.

“Good morning to you too, Madara. It’s such a lovely morning, don’t you think?” Hashirama said in a light voice as Madara huffed beside him, rolling his eyes. “And I am sorry. With all the meetings going on I… I didn’t really have time to speak with you in private. I mean I didn’t till today. As you asked for a day to consider the last terms we agreed upon.”

“I think I suspected that. Ah well… I don’t need to consider anything. We worked hard and we found out a solution that is great for both clans. I know it. I mostly asked for this day because… well, I wanted to talk to you in private, for one. And for two… Izuna still is opposed to the idea. He is a lot less brash and a lot less loud about it and he is mostly convinced that this will be good for us all but not fully. And he still hates me.” Madara admitted and then he sighed rubbing his eyes.

“I have a feeling that I can trust you, Hashirama. So I will do so. I tell you all this so that you know what we have to overcome to realize this dream. To build a village right here.” Madara pointed to the green expanse visible below them as he spoke, looking a lot older for a moment as something dark crossed his face. Then the moment went away and it took away that momentary darkness too.

“I am honored that you do, Madara. Know that I feel the same way towards you. And I am sure he doesn’t hate you. Izuna, I mean. He is your brother and you saved his life. He will come around just… give him time. Maybe we should give him some tasks on his own and those could engage him enough to stop worrying on things he shouldn’t concern himself with.” Hashirama suggested after a few moments of silence, smiling at the other clan leader sitting beside him. Madara hummed and nodded back at him.

“Maybe you are right. I will most definitely talk to him some more today. At least in the last few days he started talking to me again instead of just ignoring me. He is so young… only seventeen, Hashirama. I know your brother is not much older in years yet somehow Tobirama acts so much more mature…” Hashirama put a hand around Madara’s shoulders lightly, gently pulling him a little closer to his side.

“They both have been through too much in their childhoods. Tobi dealt with it in a way that made him grew up too fast and now he is mature yet at times I fear he will never smile again or do anything that makes him truly happy. He is too invested in research and his duties. As I see Izuna somehow managed to stay a child to a degree which might not be the worst thing. If he gets through this phase of hatred maybe he will be a lot happier adult than any of us.” Hashirama said gently and Madara let out a small chuckle.

“When did you become so wise, Senju?” The Uchiha leader said in a mocking tone, not moving away from the slight physical contact. “I always thought you had wood in your head instead of brains thanks to your kekkei genkai.” Hashirama rolled his eyes.

“And I always thought with that Sharingan of yours and everything you would be better at noticing the slight details, Uchiha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and criticism and opinions are very very very welcome. I would like to get reviews on what I write with the purpose of improving in the future.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading till the end!


	6. Chapter Five - Madara Uchiha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... I have done all my exams - three weeks, five exams... such is the life of a university student.
> 
> Sorry for the long wait - I had time to think a lot about this fic though. So expect quite a few updates in the next few days. 
> 
> I hope you will like the chapter!

Madara’s mood was a lot better that day than the usual thanks to the conversation he had with Hashirama. The Senju was not stupid – he always knew that – yet it was refreshing to talk to him about some serious matters without Hashirama making fun of it. He also was glad that with the peace blooming in the place of war between Uchiha and Senju these days they had the chance to renew their friendship finally. In his previous life Madara remembered that even after the peace was made, he never had a friendly, in depth conversation with Hashirama again. They never touched again – only on the scarce occasions when they had to shake hands for appearances and when they were fighting each other.

The Uchiha Clan head went back to his tent in their encampment and settled down on a pillow, taking the papers they had been working on in the past week or so into his hands. They were solid plans and they benefitted everyone. They were drafts of laws and suitable punishments for breaking them and they were the foundations of a new society – a society they would build together, really. Not as they did in the past, with all the Uchiha’s going passive-aggressive against the village from time to time. Madara made a silent vow to teach respect and friendship to his clan from this day onwards, to make them integrate into this society instead of always staying on the edge of it as a segregated group.

He sighed as he put the papers down into his lap, his mind going wild as he had given his thoughts free reign to just jump from one opportunity to another. He could help establish a Police force. He could maybe give the idea to make a specialized, elite unit of ninjas to Izuna, making his brother the head of the ANBU organization this time. It would suit him well, the leadership would make him grow into a fine young man, Madara reasoned. He could even suggest the idea of the Academy to Hashirama this time, making the process of training young ninjas faster.

Madara looked up from the papers resting on his lap as he heard the quiet yet familiar footsteps of his brother. He smiled at Izuna gently as he always did - it was still amazing to him, even after more than a week passing that his little brother was alive and well. Even if his brother didn't return the smile, even if the younger Uchiha's gaze was cold as it bore into his own eyes.  
  
"I want to talk." Izuna stated, gesturing at the papers on Madara's lap. "About those, mostly." The younger Uchiha sighed and run his hand through his hair, clearly agitated even as Madara patted the pillow next to him in a friendly way of permission.  
  
"Then tell me what's on your mind, Izuna. Tell me why are you so jumpy, please." The older of the said in an even voice, not showing how excited this request made him. They hadn't had a normal, brotherly talk since the morning of that awful day Izuna was nearly killed - when he was killed in the past. Or the future? The events of that other life at times became muddy to Madara, only remembering the important parts. As if it was all just a dream.  
  
"I... I came to apologize, too. That's why I... why I'm like this." Izuna admitted after a longer pause when he had settled down beside his brother in the tent. "I want to tell you that there is no excuse for me. I told you horrible things and I didn't mean them all. You are my brother and I love you, Madara. I can't imagine holding a grudge any longer than this. I was unjust and childish and..."  
  
"I have already forgiven you, little brother. Don't worry about it. I love you too. I am your brother, Izuna - I won't lie to you. It hurt a lot, coming from you. But you not talking to me were worse. I can only truly rely on you in my life and I know you have to put up with a lot... I know you like to help with my duties and I know I am too soft at times. You balance me out and you are not afraid to tell me when I am making a mistake. And that's invaluable in you, Izuna. Even if you are childish, even if you are angry or full of hatred, I love you. And I couldn't bear the thought of losing you." Madara said, extending his arms towards his brother as he pushed the papers out of his lap - only daring to add the real truth to his words in his own mind: As it happened before. I've lost you before and I went mad with grief. I don't want that to happen ever again.  
  
Izuna nodded and he bit his lower lip, still not trusting this situation or himself seemingly. But he sighed after a moment and leaned in, wrapping his arms around his brother's torso and giving him a tight, strong squeeze. He visibly relaxed as Madara's arms squeezed him back with the same amount of strength and the two embraced briefly. Then Madara relinquished his hold and Izuna settled back onto his own pillow.  
  
"Thank you, brother." The younger Uchiha said, his voice hoarse from all the difficult emotions raging inside him. He looked up at his clan leader and this time a small smile graced his lips as an echo of Madara's expression.

  
"So what else would you like to talk about, Izuna? Now that this... misunderstanding is cleared?” Madara asked as his face lit up by the genuine happiness he felt in that moment. He had his brother by his side again and Izuna was seemingly warming up to him again. He knew the wounds in them both would remain for a while but this was so much progress… he suspected something must have happened to Izuna, just as he suspected something happened to him while he was healing as he hadn’t yet started a rebellion or killed him.

“Do you really believe in this? Do you believe that building this village will be the best for you, for me, for our entire clan? I see the passion in Hashirama Senju’s eyes whenever he talks about it. It’s his dream for sure and he has such a great personality… he had managed to make many from his own clan see this village as their own dream. There are still talks of uncertainty in our clan and I kept quiet all these days, never answering them. So my question stands – do you consider this village as the best option out of all we have?” Izuna asked in a clear, serious tone. He activated his Sharingan as he watched his own brother and Madara flinched at the act of distrust, letting out a deep sigh. He knew he would have to make small steps to be as close to his brother as he was before and he was willing to make them – this patience the courtesy of the knowledge of a centenarian – yet it still hurt to know that his own brother didn’t trust his words to be the truth.

“I am certain. I want this village to work, Izuna. I want peace, not war. Not anymore. I know we have lost so many to the Senju but I agree with Hashirama fully on this matter. Revenge only births more revenge. If we want it all to stop, we have to break the cycle. If I want to make a difference, if I want my own cousins to grow up peacefully and without having to watch each other die, I have to stand by this plan and see it realized. I want you happy too, Izuna. I want you to live finally, not to fight as much as I myself want to relax too. I don’t mind if Hashirama gets to be the Hokage, if that’s what you are looking for. He can have that job. I will stand by him and help him… and I still have fought out to have a veto in any case so that will help too. This council thing will take up most of my time and it won’t be an easy ride yet the Senju and Uchiha together, as a united front will pose a threat to everyone opposing us and also it will be strong enough to hold out. I feel like only if other alliances are formed will they be able to attack us. So yeah, I think Konohagakure will be my legacy, little brother.”

The Sharingan faded from Izuna’s eyes while his brother was still talking and the younger Uchiha just watched his clan leader speak with determination and devotion clear in his voice. He stayed silent for a few moments after Madara was done and then he nodded, a small chuckle escaping him. Madara tilted his head a fraction, one eyebrow moving slightly as he was a bit confused by this sudden change of attitude.

“I can’t believe it. In your own way, you speak just as passionately about this village as Hashirama Senju, you are just less loud and enthusiastic. And you can stare at me with so many thoughts glinting in your eyes even Tobirama Senju should be jealous. Also I… I saw how you flinched. In the beginning. I know using the Sharingan was an extreme measure so I want to clear things up. It’s not that I don’t trust your words. I wanted to see just how much you really care and showing emotions had never been your strength. And ever since you… you threw away our past to build us a future I… I see you differently. So I want to adjust my views to the word and I have been using the Sharingan for that a lot lately. It helps with re-learning many things faster.”

Izuna had a guilty, shy smile on his lips as he looked into Madara’s eyes and then he looked back to the papers again. Madara gently placed a hand onto Izuna’s shoulder and squeezed it lightly, letting out a small chuckle himself too. He knew he wasn’t flawless – he had done so many horrible things once in the name of a plan that turned out hadn’t ever been really his. But showing too few emotions was now the worst thing he had ever done in the eyes of his brother and somehow it was… refreshing. This clean slate he had been given really was a gift.

“You have to learn real fast, little brother. We are having the diplomatic event tomorrow at noon in the Senju camp and I want you to be my witness, standing by my right.” Izuna’s bright smile at that request was answer enough for Madara. The clan leader couldn’t help but smile too. He had his little brother back and they were building a future together, paving a new path leading to the unknown – and Izuna was smiling freely again as he hadn’t done since they were small children. Not in public yet, just in private but it was a huge step – a step Madara was happy he had taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and criticism and opinions are very very very welcome. I would like to get reviews on what I write with the purpose of improving in the future.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading till the end!


	7. Chapter Six - Tobirama Senju

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here is another chapter... 
> 
> I am starting to consider adding Tobirama/Izuna as a ship to the story. A kind of a bromance thingie. Any thoughts on that matter?
> 
> Hope you will enjoy!

Tobirama had his eyes on Izuna Uchiha all day. The formal lunch together was uneventful though he saw that the Uchiha heir was a lot more fidgety and in higher spirits than he had ever seen him before. So Tobirama did what he was good at as a sensory-type ninja – he observed. He watched the younger of the Uchiha brothers while the formal peace declarations happened and he watched him as Madara Uchiha placed down the first cornerstone of the village’s first building. He watched him as the two banners was placed down by the stone and watched as the two heads of great clans, the Uchiha and Senju shook hands, sealing the deal. And only when Hashirama embraced Madara Uchiha publicly after all these events did Tobirama let a ghost of a smile touch his lips – it seemed his lectures had gotten through. Uchiha Izuna was no longer an immediate threat.

Tobirama huffed as his brother threw an arm around his shoulder after he left Madara’s side. The older Senju was beaming with happiness and Tobirama felt warmth blooming in his chest as he watched his brother’s joyous face – for Hashi, this was a dream coming true and his brother let it show in the way he moved, in the way he smiled, in the way he held himself. Tobirama could feel nothing but happiness as he looked at Hashirama – even if he still felt doubt whenever he considered more in depth this actual village plan. Madara Uchiha had been granted an ultimate veto, even if Hashirama had two votes in the council. With three – three members delegated from both clans, these council meetings would last forever while having to make a decision, Tobirama suspected and he wasn’t looking forward to attending those.

“I want to show them how much I really care, Tobira. Do you think they will be um… intimidated if I use my mokuton?” Hashirama whispered into his ear and Tobirama closed his eyes for a few moments as he thought. Using mokuton to build instead of fighting… it could be a symbolic thing. They already agreed to Hashirama becoming the first of their leaders, granting him the title of Hokage. If he was to use his kekkei genkai to build their village… it would send two messages. One, that there really is peace now that he can afford to “waste” his chakra to build. Two, that their Hokage is crazy powerful. It wasn’t a bad deal, Tobirama decided so he opened his eyes and winked at Hashirama in a way of saying ‘go ahead’.

Tobirama watched then , standing with his back against a tree as his older brother called everyone close, as he watched Hashirama tell them what was about to happen and then… and then he nearly fell to the ground as the tree from behind him moved. Actually moved. Hashirama cast his jutsu and not just started building one thing – he made the trees of the forest around them move to form smaller groups and from those groups the trees twisted into the forms of houses. And beside Madara’s cornerstone a bigger building was starting to form – the Hokage’s palace where the current Hokage could live and where the entire village’s administration would be dealt with. Tobirama watched it all happen with awe written onto his face as much as it was on everyone else’s – the Uchiha’s looked a little intimidated too, but they looked surprised and spellbound too, not hostile.

Tobirama rushed to his brother’s side when he saw that Hashirama’s immense chakra reserves emptied out – build something on this large a scale would take out even the strongest of the strongest. He caught his brother just in time as he was about to fall, losing his balance for a moment. What was more surprising though was that Madara was on Hashirama’s other side, holding him by his other shoulder steadying the Senju too. An interesting fact to ponder on later. Madara Uchiha moved away as quickly as he got there too and Tobirama held the full weight of his brother on his shoulder. The people around them were cheering and he caught some of them murmuring that Hashirama was indeed a god. Hashirama was just smiling tiredly at everyone as Tobirama helped him get back to his tent while the sun was setting. It had been an eventful day and the Senju heir felt that he was very proud of his older brother.

***

Tobirama couldn’t hide his awe as he walked through the houses his brother had just built, a lantern in his hand. They were fully furnished with wood furniture, all looking the same from the outside but perfectly livable. They could start moving in families tomorrow. It was truly a miracle, what his brother had done. He approached the house closest to the new center of the village and he smiled as he saw it was slightly different. Once he was inside it became clear why – this was a house like the one they had grown up in – the same layout, the same furniture or as close to it as Hashirama could make just from plain wood. He sat down at the dining table, again admiring that the furniture was movable, was not a part of the house itself. With this many details put into each house no wonder Hashirama was so tired. He had built a dozen houses in the span of ten minutes – it was no small feat.

He put the lantern down onto the table and watched the shadows the small yet bright flame inside it cast dance on the walls around. He could see with his mind’s eye him and his brother painting the walls, moving in here from their old house, adding the finishing touches to it. He could see them living here happily – he himself working on something in his own little sanctuary upstairs he knew would be waiting for him there. His mind was reeling with all the possibilities – he had been working on a cloning jutsu recently and also he still wanted to perfect his Flying Raijin….

“Stop watching me from the shadows, Uchiha. I know you are standing there. If you have wanted to kill me, you would have made a move already so since you didn’t… come and join me. I don’t see a reason why you couldn’t sit with me comfortably instead of hiding in that corner.” Tobirama said after a while, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly as he saw Izuna Uchiha doing the same as he approached from the shadows. In truth he hadn’t known for that long that he was followed but he knew the pattern of Izuna’s chakra better than he did nearly anyone else’s – they had been bitter enemies for years – so it wasn’t that hard for him to guess who was intruding on him.

The younger one of the Uchiha brothers walked gracefully to the table and he took a seat beside the Senju, facing him with a truly unreadable expression – something he rarely managed to do properly so again it was intriguing for the Senju. Tobirama watched as Izuna tilted his head to the side a tiny bit – the movement reminding him of predator cats watching their prey. Then Izuna shrugged gracefully and took to observing his own nails in the candlelight coming from the lantern, seemingly without a care in the world.

“You are bluffing, Senju, and we both know it. I could have killed you an hour ago and back then you wouldn’t have even noticed. You are getting rusty. A week without fighting is really enough for your instincts and senses to dull? If we had known we could have called for a ceasefire a long, long time ago…” Izuna started and Tobirama smacked his shoulder lightly, without any force behind the act.

“Quit it. Now you are exaggerating. The heck knew you were this good at stealth though. You could have really surprised me. Why did you never just… kill us all in our sleep, Uchiha?” Tobirama asked, feeling a bit confused at the truth of his own words – he hadn’t dulled at all during this week. Izuna truly was more skilled in this than he had ever previously thought.

“The answer is the same you will give me to my question. If Hashirama had this tremendous chakra reserve while we were fighting and this power over his mokuton kekkei genkai… why did he never use it against us? He could have killed us all. Even Madara couldn’t have stopped him in his current state and I am very well aware that you knew all this time too. Our older brothers never really wanted this war. They never really wanted to annihilate an entire other clan. They just inherited a blood feud neither of them wanted to take part in but had no real reason or opportunity to stop it. Until you nearly killed me.”

“Well… we really were at war. And even if I knew my brother’s heart wasn’t in it… I felt like had to revenge my brothers, my parents, my clan…” Tobirama started but he shut up at the sudden flare of Sharingan from the man beside him, the tomoes swirling in the deep red of the eyes. Izuna shook his head and closed his eyes then a moment later and when he opened them again there wasn’t the faintest tint of red in his irises.

“You think I have awakened my Sharing and the age of six for nothing? You think I don’t hate you Senjus for the death of my family? My clan? I do. But you told me I had to stay loyal to Madara. You told me I have to change myself if I want to live in this new order of things, in this village. So as painful as those losses are… they are in the past for me. So I don’t want your apology. That’s in the past too. I want to move forward and I came to see if you were doing that too or not.”

Tobirama nodded at the words, sighing as he stared at the shadows dancing on the walls. Itama… how could he forget his baby brother? But more importantly in this moment… when did this happen? When did Izuna actually change so much? How could he let all his anger go just because he… just because he himself told him to do just that on several occasions when he could get to speak to the Uchiha in private? It was another interesting fact he learned about Izuna Uchiha in the past week and Tobirama filed it away in his mind to ponder on it later.

“Okay. I will try moving forward to this future too. I am guessing you being here mean that you want to build some kind of trust with me. You want to work together with me or something like that. So what do you want from me actually?”

“Nothing much, Senju.” Izuna’s smile was sweet but his eyes were blazing with competition. “I just want you to answer a few questions I have. Starting with what the hell was that jutsu you used to wound me and when will you teach it to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and criticism and opinions are very very very welcome. I would like to get reviews on what I write with the purpose of improving in the future.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading till the end!


	8. Chapter Seven - Izuna Uchiha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here is yet another new chapter - hope you will like it too :) 
> 
> A little longer than the usuals I think but I just felt like writing today and my mind was filled with so many possibilities :D

In all honesty, these past weeks passed in a blur for Izuna. Now that he was really over all of his revenge and bitterness, the world actually started to fill with colours and emotions. He learned not to be angry or disappointed by everything - his frequent use of the Sharingan gave him a new vantage point when it came to the world, now that he didn't have to always keep his chakra bottled up inside him to be ready for an attack any moment. He could afford to use his Kekkei Genkai to see the world differently, moving a bit more slowly... and it was beautiful, he found. There were so many gorgeous things around him and yet he always failed to notice them till now so this really was some kind of awakening for him.  
  
Madara - as clan head and village council member - took the work for himself concerning the village so Izuna had plenty of free time to just roam around in the woods surrounding them, laughing a lot more often than he previously did, leading small hunting parties to the woods to catch game for them all to feast on in the evenings. He was happier than ever and he was glad everyone was letting him do this instead of forcing work on him. He was still only seventeen as his birthday had passed a few days ago and he loved to be a carefree youth for once. Even if he felt alone doing so - Tobirama was working a lot more than he did and he couldn't make him come out with them to hunt or swim in the lake nearby.  
  
Tobirama - as he saw from the branch he was sitting on now - was working again. He sighed as he threw a small rock against the window by which the Senju sat by, crouched in his chair, his nose inches away from a parchment he was scribbling something onto. His head shot up though at the sound the rock made and he cast an angry glare at the Uchiha outside, his red eyes glinting with happiness though at the sight of him. His silvery hair looked like a halo around his head in the sunlight shining at him as he opened the window... and he had to duck to the side as another rock flew. He wasn't fast enough though and Izuna chuckled as he saw the small red bruise on the Senju's cheek as he climbed in gracefully past him. He intended to hit him on the nose but as they were both ninja... it was a constant fight between them, surprising the other with a small attack or another. So he ducked instantly when he sensed that Tobirama moved, the punch aimed for his shoulder flying through empty air.  
  
"Not fair. I was working and the sun was behind you. And you don't even let me retaliate." Tobirama huffed and Izuna laughed again. So grumpy. But he knew they still weren't even so as he stood up he quickly sidestepped the barely visible sweep of leg aimed at his left foot to throw him off balance. Good thing Tobirama was actually in a fighting mood too.  
  
"Life is never fair, Tobi. You should stop writing those parchments and come out to hunt. You could try to catch more rabbits than me. We could make that a competition." He suggested but the tired smile and small shake of head he was given as answer spoke volumes. Tobirama - yet again - was not coming. Izuna knew he shouldn't be upset about it - they weren't friends or anything - but still, Tobirama was only older by eight months and they had some kind of connection. Probably because they had fought on so many occasions prior to this. "What are these anyway? Letters? Shouldn't Hashirama be handling these cases alongside with the council?"  
  
"The Land of Fire officially recognized us as their patron ninja village and they acknowledged my brother as the Hokage. They sent their two representatives to our council also." Tobirama started and Izuna just nodded. There had been some great celebrations about those two weeks ago or so.  
"They opened trade with us officially also but Hashirama only made the few necessary building so far like the Uchiha and the Senju compounds where we live and a few more. We have to have a trade quarter somewhere so he is there using mokuton to do most of the work. He needs a lot of rest in between using so much chakra daily so I am writing the letters for him. He just signs them."  
  
Izuna took up a discarded letter and he read into it. New trade routes and taxes and whatnot. Boring. A threat coming from the land of wind if they actually finished the village. He scoffed. Idiots. With the power of the Sharing they could defeat those puppeteers easily. What a joke. And there were so many clans wishing to join them... there were smaller ones like the Sarutobis who had been allied with the Senjus for decades. And then there were larger ones also - the Hyuugas for example. They only asked for a place in the village with offering help to them in every way possible if they were given three seats of their own on the council. Izuna nodded at Tobirama's response that said two seats on the council and they could come. Sounded fair. But then there was a really interesting one...  
  
"What? They want us to marry their kids? Who do they think they are? This Ino-Shika-Cho alliance?" Izuna asked, looking at Tobirama with surprise written clearly onto his face. He wasn't opposed to the concept of arranged marriage to help his clan but... isn't three seats on the council and two marriages two much to ask for in their position?  
  
"You didn't read it carefully enough. They say it's a negotiable thing - Inori Yamanaka and Shikako Nara are just girls our age. They aren't even proposing to marry them to the clan leaders - they are only proposing them marrying us. I was quite certain of your reaction though so I was in the middle of writing my reply to them - which we give each of three clans one seat on the council but no marriage. I don't want to marry any girl I haven't even met yet for sure." Tobirama stated as he sat back, going back to writing as Izuna nodded, picking up and reading a few more letters. Most were too formal and contained no information of interest to him but he memorized everything - he knew Madara liked it when he told him any rumours he heard.  
  
"No word from the Uzumaki clan? You wrote to them last week. Their answer should have arrived by now." Izuna remarked as he picked up Tobirama's freshly finished response going to the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance. Tobirama sighed and run a hand through his silvery hair. He shook his head, staring ahead, eyes unfocused.  
  
"I am honestly worried about them, Izuna. They are a proud, strong clan. And they literally are our neighbours. If we don't get an answer it might mean war. If they want to go to war with us, they will do it soon while we are still building. While we are at our weakest. I talked about this only to Hashirama but he said I am worrying too much. But what if I'm not? What if they attack and we are not prepared and..."  
  
Izuna placed his hand onto Tobirama's shoulder and squeezed it gently. The other man looked up at him, clearly puzzled but Izuna just smiled at him reassuringly. Maybe they did become friends in these weeks, he wondered. Never before did Tobirama show him this much weakness or let him read through all the letters without fighting him every step of that way. Or maybe the Senju was just too tired today with all these paperwork weighting him down.  
  
"Madara sends us Uchiha out to patrol in pairs each night." He knew this was not official so he shouldn't have talked about it but somehow... he found that he trusted Tobirama with this piece of information. He trusted that the Senju won't use it against him or his clan which was definitely something new. "Not just our place, we patrol the whole area around the village. So fear not, an attack from the Uzumaki won't come at us unnoticed. And Tobi... you are finished with this, right? I mean you most definitely have written answers to all these letters. Come with me? Please? Either to hunt or just to train..."  
  
"No. You see all those papers there? I have to read them all to give an accurate recount of them to my brother tonight. I really have to this now, Izuna. But maybe... meet me at the cave? Tonight?"  
  
Izuna happily laughed as he nodded, his heart filled with joy and anticipation knowing what always happened there in that cave in the woods a mile or two away from the village. He could get there easily any time he wished to and he didn't have a shift that night - not that Madara let him have one at any night, he just always took the place of anyone who felt like he or she needed a break.  
  
"I will be there at ten.”

***

Izuna was hopping from branch to branch, grinning from the rush of adrenaline speeding through the woods always brought for him. He loved being a ninja, loved using his chakra to do things no ordinary human could do. It was always incredible though what happened in that cave – that cave in which Tobirama conducted his experiments. Where they were trying out new seals, making new jutsus from scrap. Tobirama was the true genius but Izuna had plenty of chakra himself and his Sharingan was a powerful asset – he could see a lot more details than what Tobirama noticed. These nights they were free to do whatever and Izuna couldn’t help but shiver in anticipation. They were still working on that cloning jutsu – they couldn’t use mokuton to make them so it was a real difficult task to mould the shadows into shapes.

Izuna was there a few minutes later and then he slipped inside, going straight for Tobirama… with hand held high in greeting… and not noticing the loop of rope on the floor or Tobirama’s slim chakra lines as he made the rope constrict around his ankle, pulling him up into the air. With a flick of his wrist Izuna had a kunai in his hand, slashed the rope apart and a moment later he was gracefully turning his upwards momentum into a flip and he arrived back on the ground in a crouch, a bright laughter bubbling up from him.

“Greeting me like this? Really? I guess I actually deserve it for what I did this morning but still… you really want to bring our competition here, Senju? Don’t you fear my wrath and retaliation?” He asked, trying to look intimidating as he walked up to Tobirama, twirling the kunai between his fingers and standing behind the sitting man who hadn’t even looked up from the scrolls before him on the table, putting the cold edge of the blade against his neck.

“No, I don’t. Look down and you will know why, Uchiha.” Tobirama answered and Izuna stepped away when he saw a blade positioned against his femoral artery. Tobirama used the space to stand up and they both put away their blades, a small smile touching the Senju’s lips while the Uchiha was grinning widely. Tobirama walked past Izuna towards the more open space in the cave they used actually try out things. He gently patted the Uchiha’s back as he passed him.

“Come. I want to try something and I want you to watch. I think I might have figured it out, finally.” Izuna nodded excitedly and went after the Senju, sitting down onto his chair by the edge of the square they marked out on the floor for the experiments to take place in. He activated his Sharingan as Tobirama tried yet again a series of signs, using them carefully and slowly, concentrating his chakra… and then there were two Tobiramas. He nodded, seeing which one was the real one with his Sharingan and then he deactivated it, reaching out with a sensory type jutsu – and finally, there it was. He couldn’t tell the difference even though he was considered strong in most jutsus – even if he wasn’t the best sensor, he was better than average. Then the clone flickered and disappeared, leaving Tobirama standing panting in the middle.

“Good. I could only tell which one was the clone with my Sharingan. You keep using a tremendous amount of chakra though. Maybe try using another seal just as the last one? And I noticed some small mistakes in the way you handle the seals. You are good but you lose chakra while forming them. You have to become more efficient.” Izuna said as he stood up and got a glass of water for Tobirama, handing him the glass so he could drink. They then went over every seal as the last one, finding the one that gave best chakra usage with maximum effect. Then Izuna used his Sharingan to again go over all the signs with Tobirama, showing him where to keep his fingers which way to prevent the loss of extra chakra – as they always did.

“Now that we are finished with this and we made that fire dragon you wanted copying the water style technique, I think we could start working on a new project.” Tobirama said as they were sitting outside the cave, drinking water and eating blueberries while watching the many stars and the moon on the dark night sky. Izuna turned to face Tobirama, tilting his head as he looked at the Senju heir sitting beside him.

“What do you have in mind?” He asked the question innocent but they had a list for things they wanted to make. They were always following that – never before did Tobirama bring this subject up like this, not talking about putting a project onto their list but outright asking it to be their next one… and they still always hit a wall when it came to that damned Flying Raijin Jutsu, they just couldn’t improve on it at all no matter what they tried so technically that was an ongoing project too.

“I… I think it would be possible to…” Tobirama took a deep breath and Izuna waited with cold seeping into his limbs. Whatever he was going to say, Izuna know would be considered blasphemy by most people or something equally dark. “It could be possible to resurrect people. To bring back the dead, Izuna. Could you believe it? We could… we could talk to all those who had died too soon in this stupid war we had… I… I could bring back Itama…” Tobirama looked up at the moon, clearly too afraid to look at Izuna after this revelation.

To bring back the dead… Izuna gulped down some water to clear his head. It really would be frowned upon to create a jutsu like that. If they did it in secret though… he could talk with his mom again, with his brother and two little sisters… it really was not that stupid of an idea. It was unheard of before but he knew that if someone in the world would be able to pull this off, to make a jutsu this powerful – it would be the Senju he had befriended after all, it would be the man sitting beside him right now, looking as vulnerable as he waited for an answer.

“Don’t think I will let you do any of that research on your own. This one will take a lot more time and effort than any of those we had done so far. I will be right beside you through it all because I won’t let it kill you. You got it? No writing down anything, no trying anything stupid on your own. Or else I will tell your brother dearest about this plan and I think he won’t be too happy about it. I don’t want to be snitches though so don’t force my hand, Senju.” Izuna answered after a minute or two of tense silence. The silver-haired Senju looked at him with wide, surprised and doubting eyes.

“You… you really want to work with me on this, Izuna? Why?”

“Because I want to speak with the ones I lost too and because I understand your grief and how you feel, Tobirama. Why I won’t let you work alone on it – because I know you would do that if I turned you down, mind you – is because I consider you a friend and I don’t want you hurt, you dumbass.” Tobirama chuckled shyly and looked at Izuna with a bit of admiration mixed with annoyance.

“You are a dumbass too, Izuna, mind you. But no matter how unlikely this is… I too think we make a good pair in research. Maybe you are worthy of my friendship.” Izuna snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Gods, Tobirama. Couldn’t you, just for once be a little less cold?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and criticism and opinions are very very very welcome. I would like to get reviews on what I write with the purpose of improving in the future.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading till the end!


	9. Chapter Eight - Hashirama Senju

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oookay... I should probably be asleep. I pondered a lot about what to write today and when I finally got the idea it was well a bit late. So I will probably re-read it in the morning but right now I'm just so happy I could write down what I decided on in the end. I wanted to write about too much after all :D

It was a nice, sunny morning and Hashirama looked out his window with a happy smile. He was looking at their village – their village that looked perfect in his eyes. They had spent the past three months building it and it was worth it. He was doing the framework for most buildings and he made new furniture out of wood when he had spare time. Families were now living in the houses and merchants had opened their shops. They were on their way to become a prosperous new hub of trade in the middle of the Fire Kingdom – the same kingdom they had sworn to protect in exchange.

Hashirama went downstairs to drink some coffee before heading out to do his job for the day – they had finally reached an agreement with the Hyuuga clan and he had been given small drawings of what kind of houses they would like to have so he promised to build them today. Tomorrow they would add the finishing touches and the clan would move in throughout the rest of the week. They had already grown so much with the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance joining them last week – not just in numbers but in power too. Those three clans brought their own hidden techniques that would bolster their defences against any outside attacks.

Hashirama sighed as he sensed that he was all alone in the house – technically he lived together with his dear brother but Tobirama took to sleeping outside the village while doing some kind of experiments as he had put it, accompanied by the Uchiha clan heir. It wasn’t a bad thing necessarily but the rumours have already started spreading about what kind of “experiments” they were actually doing together. Hashirama asked once and Tobirama actually went into a laughing fit, finding the idea so ridiculous he couldn’t stop himself. His older brother was just happy that he seemed a lot more relax and carefree now that he didn’t have to help that much with the village’s administration as most of the constructions had been finished.

The newly appointed Hokage put down his empty coffee cup and stretched his back before making a wood clone of him, sending it to attend the meetings with Madara while he himself went to meet with Hamoro Hyuuga, the current Hyuuga clan head. The meeting itself was done quickly and he set to start building the new houses with quite a few pairs of Byakugans trained on him as he used his mokuton. It wasn’t just one bit unnerving, so many other shinobi watching him use his own kekkei genkai, marking out his chakra flow and whatnot but he didn’t dare say a word – they needed them as allies and they actually denied their first offer, not giving them as much say in the workings of this village as they originally asked for. This was a small price to pay for them to stay.

As always, using the mokuton to build something took a lot of energy out of him and depleted his chakra so after he was finished, he decided to go for a stroll around the village. Not just any village – their village. Their brand new, fantastic village everyone had been working on in the past months. The plain wooden structures he twisted the trees of the forest into were now painted, the many suiton users lead by Tobirama made a sewer and running water system that was connected to every building. The Uchiha banded together and they made so many lanterns with their katon techniques. Some shinobi from the Sarutobi clan knew enough of doton to use it to make protective walls around the city and two weeks ago he put mokuton to good use again to strengthen these walls. It really was a team effort and everyone took their part in it.

Hashirama greeted everyone he met on his way with a small, reserved smile. It was still unnerving to be called Lord Hokage by the people he cared about and even though he didn’t mind the respect the title made everything too official, too formal – even a small stroll through the village felt like business. Even the children greeted him like that, bowing to him when he in that moment wanted nothing more than to chase them around a little, to play with them – but it wasn’t an option anymore it seemed. He wasn’t an ordinary twenty-three year old – he was the Lord Hokage, the God of Shinobi. Not even considered a human by some and it started to get irritating.

He had to laugh to himself when he felt a surge of relief as his wood clone appeared, merging with him and he quickly looked through its memories, noting what had happened on the meeting and ah yes, why Madara wanted him to come. He had some more business to do today as he suspected and it was ironic that he felt relieved to have something to do – or more specifically, he was relieved to be back with one of the few people who didn’t look at him as if he was a god. He could go and meet with his old friend finally. Hashirama had a huge smile on his face as sped back to his office, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, rushing to meet up with Madara.

***

“Why did you summon us with such haste, brother?” Tobirama asked, standing with one eyebrow knocked high. Izuna Uchiha flanked him from the right and their postures were so similar… Hashirama chuckled quietly. It seemed like their two younger brothers spent so much time together their attitudes started to rub off on each other. Izuna was more collected these days as Madara told him during one of their many late-night talks after some meetings and Tobirama started to roll his eyes more than he did before whenever he was annoyed by something. And being annoyed by a summon from him directly… this was new also.

“Izuna. Tobirama. We are asking you to go on a very secret mission for the sake of the village. One of the nightly Uchiha patrols caught a spy from Sunagakure trying to cross our lands in haste to get a document to Kumogakure. It took us too long, a whole of a day, to figure out the code of the message and to decode it fully but what we read in there is something very unnerving. There are five existing copies of it in total and they are on their way to the Land of Lightning too. We want you to catch them all and destroy them. The ninjas of Kumogakure told Suna that they will only help them if certain conditions are met – one of these conditions is that Suna sends them an answer in a week. So you still have time and these scouts are working alone but you have to find four more of them. This way we can make sure Sunagakure will be alone against us.” Hashirama said as he stood up, choosing not to comment on his brother’s behaviour – not in this crucial moment. If those two villages stuck an alliance too squish them… it would mean yet another crushing war, one that they were not ready for at the moment. 

“As you wish, brother.” Tobirama stated and bowed.

“Of course. We will stop them all.” Izuna answered too and he bowed, mirroring his Senju friend.

“Two more things. You won’t talk about this to anyone else.” Madara said, him standing up too. Hashirama could see the emotional pain in his posture as he was sending his brother away – the same pain he was feeling in this moment. This was a hard choice but they had to make it. “Our own alliances are not strong enough yet to ask them for help and these ninjas are skilled so we don’t want to send anyone but the best of the best after them. And as you both know it’s you two after us. We don’t want to hurt any feelings until we are sure in our allies and until they have settled in and you both know that we don’t have many expendable resources. You two had lots of free time until now and I hate to put you two into danger but I have to send someone. We have to send someone.”

Izuna huffed and just rolled his eyes. “We will take care, don’t worry brother. We spent much time training together. This will be a fun way of testing our limits yet again.”

Tobirama smacked the younger Uchiha’s shoulder lightly in reprimand. “This is not a joke, you dumbass. This is serious business so grow up. But I agree. You need not to worry. We both know our limits and strengths and we will be swift. What’s the other condition besides keeping silent about it?”

“She.” Madara announced, worry still clear in his eyes as he pointed to the Uchiha girl sitting in the corner, who was silent till now. She now stood up and bowed with respect, first towards the clan heads and then towards their leaders. She already had three fully prepared bags beside her, filled with food, drinks, utility items and many weapons they might need. “Let me introduce you to Kurome Uchiha. I think she will be the perfect addition to help you on your mission.”

“You… you are a medical-nin, right?” Izuna asked, clearly acquainted with the sixteen or something girl who nodded with a small smile.

“Yes, I am. I know how to fight too.” She said in clear, confident voice. Her smile was charming as she looked at the two heirs yet she kept a respectful distance to every one of them and there was some hesitation and tension in her posture as if she wasn’t sure how to act towards all these powerful people.

“She came to me a month ago asked to be taught our medical Ninjutsu too. She learned something from the Sarutobis and from the Yamanakas too in the past weeks. She is an excellent sensor if what Madara says is true and she was one of the best when it came to healing during the war. She has more than average chakra as you two do too. She is well versed in stealth techniques. Madara is vouching for her and I do too. The final decision is on the both of you though. If you feel like one more shinobi would just be a liability as you haven’t trained together than we all understand. She had been briefed though already and she packed you gear too so that you could start the mission immediately.” Hashirama said and the girl nodded. She did not waste their time with more pleasantries than a curt, respectful bow towards the Hokage.

“Well, it’s truly a logical thing to bring someone with medical knowledge with us. I trust your word on her and as we are in hurry I will trust your decision too. I say she can come.” Tobirama said and he smiled at the girl in a friendly way – the Uchiha just nodded sternly.

“I won’t be dragging you along, Kurome, if you don’t want to come. So what do you say? Do you want to come with us? Even if it’s dangerous?” Izuna asked and the girl just rolled her eyes and huffed at him. Hashirama wondered what was the degree of relation between them or if she was raised by the same few people as the Uchiha heir was – their body language was quite the same.

“Of course I want to go. Why else would I be here, Izuna-kun?” She asked in a mocking tone and the Uchiha heir laughed briefly as he took a bag from her. Tobirama muttered something under his breath about ‘stupid Uchihas’ and ‘no sense of danger’ and ‘responsibility’ but then he took a bag for himself too. They all bowed towards them and before Hashirama could offer one last word of advice or a hug or proper farewells they were gone – probably a good thing they didn’t want to waste more time than necessary. Their enemies had a day worth of a head start after all.

***  
  


“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Just like how we wanted it to be, right?” Madara asked him as they stood atop the same cliffs they had climbed so much when they were kids. Hashirama gave him a tired smile and nodded. They had run off from the celebrations that were happening on the main square in honour of the Hyuugas joining them finally. Yet Hashirama didn’t feel like celebrating at all – it had been four days. Four days had passed and still they had no word from their brothers. Madara was on edge too as he was a lot more aggressive than normally, lashing out at everyone who made a mistake or was acting stupid in his eyes. So they escaped from that party and instead they came to stand here.

“It is. More like how I imagined it I suppose though as it looks just how I made it look like. We drew some plans but I used the mokuton. I made this, Madara. Sorry if it’s not what you imagined.” Hashirama said and he sighed just as a sudden punch connected with his shoulder. Madara looked at him with an unreadable expression. Hashirama tilted his head, not sure why he got the punch.

“You are incredibly stupid at times, Senju.” Madara said without any pleasantries. “If I didn’t like it, I would have told you. If it wasn’t what I wanted it to be, you would know it. With how agitated I am right now if I had a problem with any of the buildings it would be a pile of smoking ash by now and you damn well know this too so just quit being stupid.” Madara huffed and sat down on the stones and Hashirama laughed a little. It really was the truth – Madara’s bad temper seemingly knew no bounds.

“I know you are worried about them too, Madara. I am too. If… If they don’t come back…” Hashirama started as he sat down and this time he was quick enough to block the incoming punch with his left arm. He watched as Madara rolled his shoulders and opened his mouth but he quickly cut him off. “I know, I know. Stupid Senju. If you don’t want to talk about that then what do you want to do? Why did you follow me up here then?”

“I hated it down there and I like your company.” Madara answered quickly. “I want to burn something. I really do. I haven’t had time in weeks to blow off some steam. Constantly going on meetings and all… aren’t you bored of them, Hashirama?”

“I can’t say I’m bored. I just started attending them now that the constructions are mostly done. But I agree. I only had to use my techniques to build houses these past weeks. If you want to, we could actually spar or something for old times’ sake.” Hashirama suggested and Madara pondered on the suggestion for a moment but then his answer was more than obvious as he smiled and activated his Sharingan.

“I’m in. What do you say we don’t use too much chakra and too destructive techniques? Or if we just stick to taijutsu with a little extra?” Madara asked as he hopped to his feet, clearly excited. Hashirama chuckled at how eager the Uchiha looked as he stood up too, cracking his neck.

“You don’t use genjutsu on me. I won’t make wood clones. Only minimal use of Ninjutsu during the fight.” Hashirama agreed and then he bowed towards Madara who did the same. Then he had to duck to the side quickly as a small ball of fire came shooting towards him – Madara was always fast when it came to using seals after all. Then as he straightened back up he was met with a flurry of limbs, the Uchiha had charged at him and now they were locked in a dance that once was deadly. Now they weren’t aiming to make it hurt, they didn’t have swords and other weapons to throw at each other. Hashirama only used his mokuton to block a few attacks and Madara still had his Sharing blazing in his eyes, moving as gracefully as if he was a snake. Hashirama was good when it came to taijutsu but Madara was better in it and it became obvious as he had to use mokuton more and more to shield himself from punches and kicks so fast he didn’t even have time to fully acknowledge before they were already connecting to his wood.

In the end Madara jumped back and threw quite a few more small balls of fire at him which Hashirama zigzagged through, dodging them all only to be met with a waiting Madara in the end and he caught the fist coming for his face instinctively with his own fist of wood. But as he laughed his feet were suddenly swept from under him and fell to the ground, still laughing as Madara burned the wooden fist away and sat down beside him, panting lightly and laughing too. They were both sweatyand panting lightly by this point but the fight had upped their adrenalin levels just enough to make them a bit more relaxed.

“Thank you.” Madara said once they had calmed down, after a few minutes of companionable silence. Hashirama nodded and he draped a hand over Madara’s shoulders, smiling at him gently as he nodded. Madara had needed this as much as he did, it seemed. The Uchiha’s posture was a lot less tense than it was before and he gave him back a smile too – even if it was a small one, it was still one of his rare smiles that Hashirama had grown to like so much. They were both leaders and he liked how Madara always challenged him in his own way, how he always made him work harder, how he always managed to get the best out of him on every meeting they were stuck in together. Because the fact remained – they were two young men barely out of their teenage years with more power than the rest and in the shinobi world it made them both leaders, even if they might not have been the wisest choice. But now that they were leaders… they were stuck with the responsibility.

“Hashirama. You are staring at my face. Is there something with it?” Madara asked bluntly and Hashirama just shook his head, happy that in the shadows under the night sky his small blush wasn’t visible. Madara undeniably had a handsome face – not that he would ever admit that out loud.

“No. I was just daydreaming.” He answered, leaning slightly onto the Uchiha as he started down at their village down below. Soon, too soon he sensed another shinobi’s chakra and he dropped his hand as they both stood up, facing the way from where they both knew the interrupting shinobi will come from.

“Lord Hokage! Lord Uchiha! I was tasked to give you both these.” The shinobi was from the Sarutobi clan, the clan’s logo was painted on the front of his clothes. He gave them both letters and then with a respectful bow he disappeared as quickly as he came. Hashirama opened his letter and a happy smile spread on his face as he read the note. He faintly sensed that Madara was laughing happily by his side too – he suspected he had gotten a similar note.

_Don’t worry, big brother. I will be home by tomorrow noon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and criticism and opinions are very very very welcome. I would like to get reviews on what I write with the purpose of improving in the future.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading till the end!


End file.
